Listen free for 30 days
-
Tales of Ordinary Madness
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
People who bought this also bought...
-
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
- By: Charles Bukowski
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born from Bukowski's columns, the LA underground press of the 1960s, Bukowski defined his early alter ego, Hank Chinaski, as a self-described dirty old man who eyes his defeatist attitude about himself with his clarity to see humor and holiness in others. Addictive and instructive listening, Bukowski delivers the humanity and intelligence of all the unseen. Filled with his usual obsessions - sex, booze, gambling - Notes features Bukowski's offbeat insights into politics and literature, and his tortured, violent relationships.
-
-
Great stories poorly produced .
- By Lawrence C. on 09-03-18
-
The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories
- By: Charles Bukowski, Gail Chiarrello - editor
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bukowski's mad immortal origins, surfaced from the literary underground, have addicted legions of audiences who've recognized Bukowski as one of America's greatest realist writers and poets. Audible Studios narrator and OBIE winner Will Patton ( Remember the Titans, The Good Wife, Armageddon) gives a tour de force performance of Bukowski's greatest work in his prime.
-
Junky
- By: William S. Burroughs
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman, Mark Nelson, T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Burroughs’ first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures, and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through time spent kicking and time spent dealing, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report from the American postwar drug underground. A cult classic, it has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse, and unapologetic tone.
-
-
The best of the beat generation.
- By helen on 18-09-18
-
Player Piano
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kurt Vonnegut's first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines. Paul's rebellion is vintage Vonnegut – wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality.
-
-
Uncanny prediction of today's world of automation.
- By Matthew on 18-09-16
-
Galapagos
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to A.D. 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave new, and totally different, human race.
-
-
Distinctly Average
- By Mark Purnell on 02-11-20
-
South of No North
- By: Charles Bukowski
- Narrated by: Christian Baskous
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
South of No North is a collection of short stories written by Charles Bukowski that explore loneliness and struggles on the fringes of society.
-
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
- By: Charles Bukowski
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born from Bukowski's columns, the LA underground press of the 1960s, Bukowski defined his early alter ego, Hank Chinaski, as a self-described dirty old man who eyes his defeatist attitude about himself with his clarity to see humor and holiness in others. Addictive and instructive listening, Bukowski delivers the humanity and intelligence of all the unseen. Filled with his usual obsessions - sex, booze, gambling - Notes features Bukowski's offbeat insights into politics and literature, and his tortured, violent relationships.
-
-
Great stories poorly produced .
- By Lawrence C. on 09-03-18
-
The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories
- By: Charles Bukowski, Gail Chiarrello - editor
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bukowski's mad immortal origins, surfaced from the literary underground, have addicted legions of audiences who've recognized Bukowski as one of America's greatest realist writers and poets. Audible Studios narrator and OBIE winner Will Patton ( Remember the Titans, The Good Wife, Armageddon) gives a tour de force performance of Bukowski's greatest work in his prime.
-
Junky
- By: William S. Burroughs
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman, Mark Nelson, T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Burroughs’ first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures, and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through time spent kicking and time spent dealing, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report from the American postwar drug underground. A cult classic, it has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse, and unapologetic tone.
-
-
The best of the beat generation.
- By helen on 18-09-18
-
Player Piano
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kurt Vonnegut's first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines. Paul's rebellion is vintage Vonnegut – wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality.
-
-
Uncanny prediction of today's world of automation.
- By Matthew on 18-09-16
-
Galapagos
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to A.D. 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave new, and totally different, human race.
-
-
Distinctly Average
- By Mark Purnell on 02-11-20
-
South of No North
- By: Charles Bukowski
- Narrated by: Christian Baskous
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
South of No North is a collection of short stories written by Charles Bukowski that explore loneliness and struggles on the fringes of society.
-
Rabbit, Run
- By: John Updike
- Narrated by: William Hope
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1959, and Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, one-time high school sports superstar, is going nowhere. At twenty-six he is trapped in a second-rate existence - stuck with a fragile, alcoholic wife, a house full of overflowing ashtrays and discarded glasses, a young son and a futile job. With no way to fix things, he resolves to flee from his family and his home in Pennsylvania, beginning a thousand-mile journey that he hopes will free him from his mediocre life.
-
-
"Glory Days"
- By DT on 24-10-15
-
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
- A Book for All and None
- By: Friedrich Nietzsche
- Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is one of the most extraordinary - and important - texts in Western philosophy. It was written by Friedrich Nietzsche between 1883 and 1885. He cast it in the form of a novel in the hope that his urgent message of the 'death of God' and the rise of the superman (Ubermensch) would have greater emotional as well as intellectual impact.
-
-
Best Narration of this book thus far!
- By Kindle Customer on 29-02-16
-
The New York Trilogy
- By: Paul Auster
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Auster's signature work, The New York Trilogy, consists of three interlocking novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room - haunting and mysterious tales that move at the breathless pace of a thriller.
-
-
An original take on the detective story
- By Andrea Edan on 18-06-20
-
Necessary Illusions
- Thought Control in Democratic Societies
- By: Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his 1988 CBC Massey Lecture, Noam Chomsky inquires into the nature of the media in a political system where the population cannot be disciplined by force and thus must be subjected to more subtle forms of ideological control. Specific cases are illustrated in detail, using the U.S. media primarily but also media in other societies.
-
-
Yawn
- By Alex on 13-01-21
-
Monsignor Quixote
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Cyril Cusack
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Promoted to the rank of Monsignor, Quixote and his friend Sancho, the ex-mayor of El Toboso and an avid Communist, set off on their travels in the rusty old car the call Rocinante. Together, they roam through modern-day Spain in a brilliant picaresque fable that, like Cervantes' classic, offers enduring insights into our life and times. Cyril Cusack reads Grahame Greene’s moving, hilarious novel about a Catholic priest and his friend, a Marxist mayor.
-
-
Not one for misophonia sufferers
- By EEL on 12-11-19
-
Tales from Ovid
- By: Ted Hughes
- Narrated by: Ted Hughes
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his remarkable debut The Hawk in the Rain (1957) to his death in 1998, Ted Hughes was a colossal presence in the English literary landscape. He was also admired as a performer of his own work. Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes' masterful versions of stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses, includes those of Phaeton, Actaeon, Echo and Narcissus, Procne, Midas and Pyramus and Thisbe as well as many others.
-
-
Rich mellifluous storytelling
- By Anon on 27-08-19
-
Unreasonable Behaviour
- An Autobiography
- By: Don McCullin
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the construction of the Berlin Wall through every conflict up to the Falklands War, photographer Don McCullin has left a trail of iconic images. At the Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, McCullin’s photography made him a new kind of hero.
-
-
Interesting, informative but ...
- By Anthony on 18-09-16
-
The White Album
- By: Joan Didion
- Narrated by: Susan Varon
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1979, The White Album records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. Examining key events, figures, and trends of the era - including Charles Manson, the Black Panthers, and the shopping mall - through the lens of her own spiritual confusion, Joan Didion helped to define mass culture as we now understand it. Written with a commanding sureness of tone and linguistic precision, The White Album is a central example of American reportage and a classic of American autobiography.
-
-
Introspective ally to the external world
- By tamara on 02-11-19
-
Short Stories
- The Ultimate Classic Collection
- By: Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others
- Narrated by: various
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ultimate Classic Collection is drawn from our extensive back catalogue of over 300 short stories and showcases some of the finest examples of the genre: from romance to horror, detective and crime stories to the best of women's writing.
-
-
Nice collection
- By Brooksies on 27-06-12
-
Candide
- By: Voltaire
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Candide and his tutor Pangloss travel the globe trying to follow the philosophy "All is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds". However, they are stung and let down at every turn, being robbed, tortured, and ridiculed, amongst other trials. On hearing about their often disasterous travels, a listener feels unfortunately less than empathetic, and can't help themselves laughing out loud at this very funny account of the trail our optimistic travellers take.
-
-
Excellent
- By Michael Webb on 01-04-20
-
Ashenden
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When war broke out in 1914, Somerset Maugham was dispatched by the British Secret Service to Switzerland under the guise of completing a play. Multilingual, knowledgeable about many European countries, and a celebrated writer, Maugham had the perfect cover, and the assignment appealed to his love of romance, and of the ridiculous. The stories collected in Ashenden are rooted in Maugham's own experiences as an agent, reflecting the ruthlessness and brutality of espionage, its intrigue and treachery, as well as its absurdity.
-
-
Dryly witty, with a splinter of ice at its heart
- By Brendan on 23-12-12
-
Rain and Other Stories
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
W. Somerset Maugham is one of the best-loved short story writers of the last 100 years. In this collection of his finest short work Maugham takes the listener to the sun-drenched Pacific islands where the Governor mercilessly abuses the inhabitants; to the story "Rain", in which the Reverend and the prostitute play out one of the most famous finales ever written; to the studies of chauvinistic Colonels, and snide conversations in Edwardian drawing rooms, as well as at the gates of heaven. As an introduction to one of the greatest writers in the English language Stephen Crossley's reading is the perfect place to start.
-
-
Wonderful
- By Sue on 26-04-16
Summary
"He loads his head full of coal and diamonds shoot out of his finger tips. What a trick. The mole genius has left us with another digest. It's a full house - read 'em and weep." - Tom Waits
Inspired by D.H. Lawrence, Chekhov, and Hemingway, Bukowski's writing is passionate and extreme - his life was as weird and wild as the tales he wrote. His first work came from the 1960s Los Angeles underground press, and yet he became regarded as one of one of America's greatest poets and realist novelists.
This collection of Buk's grimmest diaries gives an insight into the noir and brutal Los Angeles that Bukowski observed and lived so well. He was a legend in his time: a madman, a recluse, a lover...tender, vicious...never the same. These are exceptional stories that came pounding out of his violent and depraved life - horrible and holy. You cannot listen to them and come away the same again.
Tales of Ordinary Madness includes iconic stories "A .45 to Pay the Rent" about drug dealing, fatherhood and love on the other side of the law, and "The Great Zen Wedding" in which Bukowski goes off the rails as best man at a wealthy Hollywood affair.
OBIE winner Will Patton (Remember the Titans, The Good Wife, Armageddon) recreates Bukowski in his visceral prime, along with every eye-popping character in his life, each adversary, lover, and stranger in a lost city.
©1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1983 Charles Bukowski
More about the author:
Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for 50 years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was 24, and began writing poetry at the age of 35. He died in San Pedro, California on March 9, 1994 at the age of 73, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp.
Critic reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about Tales of Ordinary Madness
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 23-11-18
classic Buk
Tales of Ordinary Madness is just classic Bukowski. Grimy, sleazy , grim and hilarious. The performance is great too. Well worth a credit. But the price Audible puts on books is ridiculous. Thieves. Shame on them.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bennie The Ball
- 08-12-17
Well Read
Sounds great, good voices, the right voice for bukowski could have even gone more whiskey/cigarette rough, even drunk and smoking continuously might have worked, missing lines, making bits up! Well....maybe not. NEED MORE BUKOWSKI -- NEED ALL BUKOWSKI -- NEED POETRY -- WILLING TO EXCHANGE MONEY AND CREDITS
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-01-21
Bukowski at his gorgeous best
A wonderful array of filth, finesse and gutter poetry, spliced with the occasional swerve. Another essential piece of work from a truly great writer and human being.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Louis Raubenheimer
- 24-08-20
Soul-tourtured genius
Manic, mad and profoundly filthy. This was my first meaningful foray into the crusty mayhem of Bukowski. At times I ached inside, at others I was revolted. Brave, beyond brilliant, maybe the most honest writing I've ever encountered. I'm left touched, violated and in complete awe. Total genius.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leon
- 27-01-20
Brilliantly dark
Awesome narrator, he really made the madness feel alive. It was funny and dark and brilliant but mad. This is the first Bukowski book I've read. He's brilliantly insightful but bitterly sad. Very very much recommend this book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Harry Stone
- 21-06-19
Misogyny makes decent prose unpalatable
Starts strong, great narration and some excellent prose. Does what is says on the tin APART from being intensely misogynistic. And by misogynistic I mean lines like “I planned to rape her” every few minutes.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Richard Klein
- 28-05-19
Unmissable experience
Happy to have bathed in the Bukowski world. A must listen to anyone with an open mind.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Martin W
- 09-01-18
Patton nails this.
The sample audio was way out of context and made the reading sound off. But finally I bought this and found that Patton knows his Bukowski. I never did believe the snideness that some narrators give Bukowski's writing. Recordings of Bukowski himself don't have that tone of forced irony. He means what he's saying. Patton gets it and gives us a lively but straightforward interpretation. I'm getting the whole Bukowski by Patton set.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- CalEd
- 18-09-19
Bukowski by Will Patton is my morning coffee
Will really gives a unique tone to Bukowski's writing, only Bukowski would do better reading his work. it has become one of my favorite things to do on long drives and when at home while drinking a glass of whiskey and smoking a cigar.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 24-09-20
Not a good use of a credit.
I’ve been doing audiobooks for a few years now and have come across some very good ones, average ones, then ones like this. The narration, Will Patton, was excellent as he always does when reading books. The story leaves a lot to be desired. I found much of the language and sordid details of sex, rape, and crime unnecessary and filthy to the point of disgust. I had a very hard time finishing this one and if not for the narrator I’d have given up 2 hours into the book. This one was hard to follow, jumps around all over the place, and just became flat nasty with the language and descriptions of what was going on. I WOULD NOT recommend this book to anyone I personally know. There are way too many good ones out there to choose from.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Billy White
- 29-11-18
Wonderful
The narrator is astounding. If you've read this before you won't be wasting a cent by listening.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- EvilShredder
- 06-08-18
Just a case of ordinary madness
Will Patton is a wonderful narrator. He sounds like how I think Buk should sound. 1950s noirish in a smoked filled bar. If you like Buk's short stories this is a no brainer. Patton does not disappoint.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Carol
- 07-02-18
Riveting stories and "in your face" revelations
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
yes, because it is written and narrated by masters of storytelling
What did you like best about this story?
a look into the life on Skid Row... and of Charles Bukowski during the 60's
What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?
He is the most spell binding narrator I have ever heard.. his acting and inflections and passion seethes in each character. I cannot find words to praise his reading ability. I will listen to him read the phone book!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
what it is like to be an "Alcoholic"....
Any additional comments?
bought every book I could on this author and this narrator
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- DanielandElizabeth Mata
- 24-12-20
Repetitive
I will star out by saying he is good at writing. However he is not for me. After about the first 2 hours you begin to realize all the stories are pretty much the same thing. it is a repetitive loop of rambling, obscenity, sex, rape, and alcohol abuse.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- mike
- 02-12-20
Dated
Dated ,opinionated with lots of vulgar language. Says a lot about the mindset of the author. If your sensibilities are not easily injured then it is something different to listen to that you may enjoy.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- M. Hernandez
- 18-10-20
Fanboy of Charles B
I love just about all of Charles work. So I’m a little bias. The reading gets better as you listen and now I’m used to the narrator Will Patton.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- william d johnson
- 09-07-20
amazing
as always a great performance by a once in a generation writer. thanks for the narration